Pretied ligature splint



April 28, 1964 E. c. WOOD PRETIED LIGATURE SPLINT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 19, 1962 INVENTOR. fir'rlesi C. wood BY 00 44,w0 47Z/YM Cligs April 28, 1964 E. c. WOOD PRETIED LIGATURE SPLINT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 19, 1962 INVENTOR 6777651 C. Wood United States Patent 3,130,727 PRETIED LIGATURE SPLINT Ernest Charles Wood, 2461 Ivanhoe Drive, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor of thirty percent to Rene G. Le Vaux and thirty percent to Adolph M. Brown Filed Mar. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 180,672 3 (llaims. (Cl. 128-326) This invention relates in general to a splint for use in carrying a ligature and for enabling the ligature to be assembled to a ligature tier of the type shown in application Ser. No. 798,476, now Patent No. 3,040,747, filed March 10, 1959, entitled Ligature Tier.

In the aforementioned application there was disclosed a ligature tier comprising a pair of jaws encircled by a ligature having a free end. The jaws of the tier were utilized to clamp a blood vessel and to slip the loop of the ligature over the clamped blood vessel and for tightening the loop about the blood vessel. In order to tighten the loop around the blood vessel a slip knot was provided through which the free end of the loop could be drawn by the tier. The tier therefore incorporated a guideway through which the free end could be threaded to a clamping mechanism for grasping the free end of the ligature and drawing it through the knot. Since the dimensions of the ligature and the guideway are necessarily quite minute, delays were encountered in mounting the ligature onto the tier and threading the free end to the guideway and clamping mechanism.

It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement for carrying a ligature so that it may be easily and conveniently associated with a ligature tier.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to produce a splint which may be manufactured of relatively inexpensive and available materials; which may be used as a single use disposable splint adapted to mount a ligature which has been pretied for direct introduction into position of use in the tier; which maintains the elements of the pretied ligature in a predetermined arrangement and shape for best use in transfer of the pretied ligature into position of use on the tier; which operates to maintain proper tension in the pretied knot; which maintains a proper kink in the pretied ligature to facilitate threading of the free end portion of the ligature through the tier while the loop is positioned about the jaws; which properly locates the kink and the free end of the ligature for easy removal from the splint and insertion into the tier, and which operates to maintain the proper overall length of the elements making up the pretied ligature.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a splint carrying a ligature;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the splint and ligature;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the splint and ligature;

FIG. 4 is a top elevational view of the splint and ligature;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the splint with the pretied ligature in position of use thereon;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view showing the application of force for releasing the pretied ligature from the splint; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the pretied ligature separate and apart from the splint.

Referring to the drawings, a splint is indicated by the reference numeral 10. It comprises a simple U-shaped plastic element defined by a back leg 12 and the side legs 14 and 16 between which an opening 18 is formed. The legs 14 and 16 are each provided with a widened portion 20 extending from a position intermediate the back leg 12 to the leg ends. One of the legs is provided with a channel or groove 22 in its outer surface and extending the length of the leg.

A ligature 23 is assembled on the splint 10. The ligature as described in the aforementionedapplication comprises a loop 24 closed by a slip knot 26 having an elongate free end 28. The ligature loop 24 is slipped over the widened end portions 20 of the legs 14 and 16, and is so dimensioned by the position of the slip knot 26 as to snugly encircle those portions so that it is firmly held in position. The free end 28 is looped under the slip knot 26, which is positioned above the channel 22, so that the free end 28 lies in the channel and extends substantially to the end of the channel.

Thus when the ligature 22 is to be assembled to ligature tier, the splint 10 is brought adjacent the jaws of the tier with channel 22 in alignment with the guideway in the ligature tier. The legs 14 and 16 of the splint are grasped between the fingers of one hand and moved toward each other, as illustrated in FIG. 6, to decrease the spaced relation between the end portions of the legs and free the ligature loop 24 for sliding displacement from the splint. The loop 24 may then be slipped easily over the jaws of the tier, as shown in the aforementioned application. In the meantime, the free end 28 is threaded through the guideway into engagement with the clamping mechanism as soon as movement occurs since the kink and the channel 22 serves to accurately direct the free end. The free end 28 is clamped as the loop 24 is drawn over the jaws of the ligature tier, as explained in the aforementioned application.

It will be understood that the splint can be formed of clear or colored, filled or unfilled plastic materials to provide legs which are sufficiently resilient to enable displacement in the direction toward each other at their free ends of larger crosswise dimension to relax the loop for enabling displacement. Instead of a plastic, the splint can be fabricated of other low cost materials such as wood, paper, cardboard, metal, glass, or the like, but it is preferred to limit the material to a structure that can be treated at elevated temperature for sterilization of the ligature and the splint on which it is mounted for packaging into a compact unit for use. Thus the splint protects and maintains the pretied ligature in position for immediate application to the tier in a simple and efiicient manner.

It is also preferred to mold the splint of a low cost plastic or other material for use as a disposable splint which can be discarded after use. For this purpose use can be made of a splint molded of a polyacrylate, polystyrene, cellulose acetate, and the like.

The enlarged portion 20 on the ends of the legs provides shoulders 21 which serve properly to position the splint in the machine in which the ligature is pretied and applied to the splint.

There has been described one embodiment of a splint for engaging a ligature with a ligature tier, and, since the invention is capable of considerable variations, its limitations are believed more adequately set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An article of manufacture comprising in combination a ligature having an adjustable loop portion for embracing the article when associated thereabout, said ligature having a free end portion connected to said adjustable loop portion, the connection being such that when the adjustable loop portion is surrounding an article to be tied, the pulling force exerted on the free end will cause said adjustable loop portion tightly to embrace the article, and a splint on which the ligature is mounted having an elongate portion encircled by said loop, means on the splint for guiding the free end of the ligature, and tensioning means integrally formed on the splint for releasing said loop portion from the splint while the guide serves to engage the free end for feeding into a pulling mechanism.

2. An article of manufacture comprising in combination a ligature having an adjustable loop portion for embracing the article when associated thereabout, said liga ture having a free end portion connected to said adjustable loop portion, the connection being such that when the adjustable loop portion is surrounding an article to be tied, the pulling force exerted on the free end will cause said adjustable loop portion tightly to embrace the article, and a split on which the ligature is mounted comprising an integrally formed element defining external walls spaced by an amount to receive the loop thereon in fitting relationship and displaceable in the direction toward each other for reducing the spaced relationship to release the loop, and a groove in one side of said external walls, said ligature being mounted on the splint with the loop about the external walls and with the free end disposed within said groove.

3. An article of manufacture comprising in combination a ligature having an adjustable loop portion for embracing the article when associated thereabout, said ligature having a free end portion connected to said adjustable loop portion, the connection being such that when the adjustable loop portion is surrounding an article to be tied, the pulling force exerted on the free end will cause said adjustable loop portion tightly to embrace the article, and a splint on which the ligature is mounted comprising an integrally formed U-shaped member having a pair of laterally spaced apart side legs and an interconnecting bail, with the side legs spaced one from the other by an amount to receive the loop in fitting relationship thereabout, a groove extending along the outside of one side leg, the loop of the ligature being mounted on the spaced apart legs with the free end portion of the ligature disposed within the groove, said legs being displaceable in the direc tion towards each other to reduce the spaced relationship therebetween to release the loop mounted on the legs of the splint.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A LIGATURE HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE LOOP PORTION FOR EMBRACING THE ARTICLE WHEN ASSOCIATED THEREABOUT, SAID LIGATURE HAVING A FREE END PORTION CONNECTED TO SAID ADJUSTABLE LOOP PORTION, THE CONNECTION BEING SUCH THAT WHEN THE ADJUSTABLE LOOP PORTION IS SURROUNDING AN ARTICLE TO BE TIED, THE PULLING FORCE EXERTED ON THE FREE END WILL CAUSE SAID ADJUSTABLE LOOP PORTION TIGHTLY TO EMBRACE THE ARTICLE, AND A SPLINT ON WHICH THE LIGATURE IS MOUNTED HAVING AN ELONGATE PORTION ENCIRCLED BY SAID LOOP, MEANS ON THE SPLINT FOR GUIDING THE FREE END OF THE LIGATURE, AND TENSIONING MEANS INTEGRALLY FORMED ON THE SPLINT FOR RELEASING SAID LOOP PORTION FROM THE SPLINT WHILE THE GUIDE SERVES TO ENGAGE THE FREE END FOR FEEDING INTO A PULLING MECHANISM. 